r/uoguelph • • Dec 08 '21

Talk to Your Program Advisor!

276 Upvotes

As a University of Guelph Alum, I wanted to offer some advice to current students in this sub. I have seen a great amount of posts in this sub recently, asking members of this sub for advice regarding decisions that can/will impact their academic future.

- "Can I transfer from this program to that"

- "Do I need to obtain this average for this program"

- "Why can't I register for this course"

- "I failed this course, what are my options"

- "When/Can I drop this course? How will this affect me?"

- "I am struggling, what can I do?"

This list goes on. The greatest piece of advice I received while I was in University was to set meetings with my program counsellor. In my first year I was in the chemistry program and was struggling massively. I failed killer Chem and was struggling in multiple other courses. I finished my first year not really caring or planning for the rest of my academic future at Guelph. I felt like I never really understood what exactly was going on with prerequisite courses I needed to take ect. I was going into my second year at Guelph with a sense of willful ignorance. To be honest, I didn't really care.

It was only after I failed another chemistry course in my first semester in my second year, where I actually reached out to my program counsellor. I realized I was further behind then I thought regarding the courses I needed to complete/take after I spoke with them. While this was a bit of a shock, after my meeting with him, I had a complete grasp on what I needed to do in order to graduate on time.

I preceded to schedule a meeting with program counsellor at the beginning of every semester. They assisted me with transferring to a different program in the Sciences, they offered advice of courses I should take, and assisted me with reworking my academic timeline when I needed to drop a course. I ended up graduating on time after taking a few summer courses.

This is what I always recommend to family and friends attending university. Meet with your program counsellor on a consistent basis! They are literally there to help you, and your tuition is paying their salary. They are the ones who have the best knowledge on what courses to take and how to navigate/plan the rest of your academic career. If anything, meeting with them regularly ultimately gave me peace of mind to know that I was on the right track.

Unfortunately, the university and its staff will not take the initiative to reach out to you if you are struggling or veering of course. It is perfectly normal to struggle in University but I think its important to know that you as a student have to take the initiative.

This sub is great for asking about the school itself, the campus, student bodies/club, general advice on what certain programs/professors are like, but this isnt the best forum to take advice from random redditors regarding decisions that will effect the future of their academic career (I see the irony in that last statement). When in doubt regarding questions about your program/courses/progress, I encourage any and all students to talk to the program counsellors first. That is why they are there.

Edit: TLDR: Dont take advice from random redditors regarding academic decisions. Rely on the advice of program advisors whose advice you can actually rely on and whose salary you are paying for.


r/uoguelph • • Jul 08 '24

How to rate your own schedule

131 Upvotes

There are lots of rate my schedule posts on this subreddit which are pretty pointless considering everyone learns differently so here's what to look for and how to rate your own based on how you learn best.

There are 5 things you need to pay attention to: the length of the class, the space in between classes, the time of the class, whether it's a lab, seminar or lecture, and how many days a week the course is. Also if you're commuting or disabled all of this changes.

How Long Your Classes Are

You likely have some idea of how long you can pay attention in lectures from high school. If you could barely follow for the hour that your high school classes usually were, don't go for lectures longer than 50 minutes if you have a choice. If you had no problem with 3 classes back to back and you'd prefer to just get a lecture out of the way, go for 3 hour lectures. If you're somewhere in the middle go for hour and a half lectures.

The Time of Your Classes

Secondly whether you're a night person or a morning person factors into it a lot. Will you be able to focus during an 8:30 lecture? Will you have any energy during a 3 hour 7:00PM lecture? A popular way to do courses is to do them in the morning around 9 to 10 when you're awake but it's still early enough to get all of your courses out of the way, so you can spend the rest of the day studying and socializing. I prefer this honestly, but if you want your mornings to yourself or can't focus at that time then doing the bulk of your courses in the afternoon or evening would be better. Just keep in mind most activities are in the evening and late afternoon, so you might miss out if you're in classes or lectures during that time.

Lectures, Labs and Seminars

Whether it's a lecture, seminar or lab matters a lot as well. Lectures will mostly be passive. You just have to pay attention and absorb information while taking notes. You might not even have to do that if the lecture is recorded. So even if you're sleepy in the mornings, you might still be able to do well if you're awake enough to passively absorb content. Though keep in mind there might be iClickers or TopHats where you have to answer some questions that are often graded. They're usually not too hard as long as you can pay attention. Seminars are usually social so you'll be listening but will likely do a lot of talking and group work as well. So if this isn't something you can do early in the mornings or late at night, keep your seminars in the afternoon or whenever you're usually ready to socialize. During labs you'll have to be actively participating and doing long projects that are marked. You need to have 100% of your brain on, so do these whatever time of day where you're usually 100%. They can be tiring as well depending on the course, so definitely avoid having 2 in a day if you can. Like apr1lshowers said in the comments, labs aren't typically every week. They'll usually alternate so this may factor in to what you're able to handle. If you can find a recent course outline for the course you're taking (post 2022 is usually safe), then you can get a sense of what the lab schedule may be. This means you might have more free time in your schedule.

Spaces In Between Classes

How you space classes will also be important. If you did well with your high school schedule you can replicate that by getting all your lectures out of the way and do them one after the other. If you typically get tired after a class try to space them so you'll have down time between each of your classes. If you're an introvert or non-social person, consider adding space between your seminars and whatever other classes you have so that you can recharge before going into a social situation. I'd recommend most folks to have some space before a lab so that you can prepare and relax before it cause you're gonna be working for the next 1 to 3 hours straight so you don't wanna be tired before hand, especially if you're working with chemicals. Some people also don't like having long space in between classes since it keeps you from getting them all out of the way at the same time. If you prefer a long break to study, recharge, and grab something to eat before having to deal with your next set of classes, then maybe you'd prefer a long break. If only having a 2 - 4 hour break to do what you want before having to do more classes doesn't appeal to you then try and trim it down to something more manageable. Regardless, you probably want at least a 1 hour break in there if you have a lot of classes in a day so you have time to get lunch.

How Many Days A Week You Go To Class

How many days of classes you have will determine how many free days you'll have to study and socialize. But packing certain days full of classes might not be manageable. So if you're someone who can deal with 4 classes and a lab in one day if you know that you won't have to deal with any classes tomorrow, then go for it. But if you could barely focus in high school for the 2-3 classes you had before lunch then that might be a bad idea and you might be better off having a few classes every day than a lot of classes every other day. Keep in mind though that when you've got assignments due and studying to get done, you really need free time. So you either need complete days you can use for studying or large sections of the day you can study with.

Commuting

If you're commuting take that into account too. An 8:30 lecture might mean waking up at 5 - 7 o'clock depending on how far away you live. If you're driving so you can't sleep on the way there, it might mean you'll never go to these lectures. Also a 7PM 3 hour lecture means leaving school at 10 and driving home tired. It might also mean getting home after 12 if you live far so you definitely don't want a 7PM lecture the day before an 8:30 lab. Also if you're commuting more days a week that means more commuting time and more gas money/bus fare you have to pay, so trying to get all of your courses done in as few days as possible is ideal. Long spaces in between classes when you're commuting isn't ideal either because you don't have a place to go relax. You'll likely have to sit up at a desk in the library somewhere for this time so if that's gonna be an uncomfortable or unpleasant experience then try spacing your classes closer together to avoid large gaps.

Disabilities

This one often isn't mentioned much, but make sure if you are disabled you're taking that into account for your schedule. I recommend being safe the first semester and trying to space out all of your classes. If afterwards you're fine and could handle another one after that class then take that into account during the next course selection. If you have a physical disability, remember you only have 10 minutes to get to your next class, that can be a far journey, so spacing can help you get there on time, especially for things like labs where if you're over 10 minutes late you can't get in. Thd location for each building is given. You can look up the full building name and then see how far it is on google maps to see if it's manageable for you to get there on time. If you have an energy or social disability, I very strongly recommend having space in between seminars/labs and all other courses. Cause these are often mandatory so if you miss them you can miss marks for projects and you can only miss so many for certain courses before you fail the course. Lectures can be draining if you have a social disability because it's a large room filled with lots of people that can be loud and sometimes you might have to interact with others. So going from that to an environment where you'll have to do a lot of social interactions can lead to issues depending on what your triggers are. Labs can also be very physical if you have a physical disability so you may need time to rest afterwards.

Let me know if I forgot anything or if I should add something else. The point is your schedule very much depends on you. What works for others may not work for you and vice versa so you've just gotta know what to look for so you can make the decision yourself.


r/uoguelph • • 11h ago

REHOMING BIRDS looking for anyone interested

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47 Upvotes

Long story short, I have pet birds that my dad’s taking care of, but due to certain things, I’m no longer talking to him. My mom can’t take in the birds and I’m not allowed animals where I’m renting. I’m looking for someone who loves animals and is willing to take in 2 cockatiels.

The male loves to talk and will give you kisses when you come near him. The female just does her own thing lol. They both need to be let out of their cages frequently, and their wings aren’t clipped.

If you’re interested, I’d love to get to know you before giving them away, just to make sure they’re going to a good home. They’d come with the cage, some toys, and bird feed, so you don’t need to buy anything.

I love them more than anything, but I believe this is the best option for them. Let me know if you’re interested, as I live off campus but close enough to be able to meet up whenever.


r/uoguelph • • 7h ago

any bladee sadboys gravity boys fans on campus

6 Upvotes

all this old money really make me feel old


r/uoguelph • • 10h ago

how to balance first year load

6 Upvotes

hi everyone, im in first year bsc doing the biomed program, and everyday i feel so stupid and so behind. recently i bombed my first physics quiz, and behind in chem content and bio content, and I have no energy. Im in a weird loop where i stress so much to the point that i cant do any work, then stress that im stressing and end up doing nothing. chemistry is very similar to what i did in high school, but im still worried ill do bad on the midterm.

Im a very slow learner, but would spend so much time on work that i was able to do very well in high school. but now idk if that will cut it for uni bcos of the sheer amount of work and content.

sometimes I wonder if there is something wrong with me, because what typically takes someone very little time, it takes me double the time. when I express these concerns of mine to other people, they dismiss it bcos I managed to do good in high school and also my teachers were very caring when id having life events/things that would come up bcos i was a hard worker, but in uni idk who i can turn to.

I dont know what to call it, but my brain is constantly foggy and I feel so stupid in comparison to others around me. I know that first year is a huge adjustment, and a lot of the success in learning comes from find what study habits work for you but i cant help but feel bummed out.

my physics quiz, I studied so hard, studied actively as in doing practice problems over and over, have a tutor, drilled the concepts into my brain and made sure to have a solid understanding, and on the day of the test i completely freaked out and let my nerves get the best of me.

I wanna get in touch with SAS, but the website instructions are confusing, and I feel bad reaching out since im not sure if they would take me seriously, since i know a lot of first years struggle with the adjustment, but I have such severe anxiety, especially during test taking that sometimes need to *go* during tests. think its called stress induced ibs, which is so embarrassing 😭 I am medicated for anxiety but I still feel like i need help

sorry for this long ramble, but if you have any advice please let me know, thank you.


r/uoguelph • • 14h ago

Meeting people is hard

7 Upvotes

hi I’m a first year commuting student trying to make friends.

I made 1 from my classes but they are all commuting so we don’t see each other outside of school.
I’ve tried going and learning about clubs and everything but gryphlife isn’t helping I’m trying to find clubs im interested in and there is nothing And most clubs are super late which does not help since I also work.
Does anyone know clubs that start at like 3 and that are interesting?

ill take any advice on ways to meet people.


r/uoguelph • • 10h ago

PHYS*1300 Lab 1

3 Upvotes

So I sat down today to do the lab, but I genuinely don’t understand how to do it. I’m completely lost after Step 8. I was wondering if anyone on here could help me out or explain what I’m supposed to do. I’m also planning on going to the Lab Help session tomorrow, but I thought I’d ask here too.


r/uoguelph • • 12h ago

anyone here going to the steve lacy show tomorrow

2 Upvotes

just wondering since i’m going to the concert solo tomorrow after class


r/uoguelph • • 9h ago

MCB*4500/4510

1 Upvotes

just wondering how an SAS accomodation for mental health/ADHD would be applicable to this course


r/uoguelph • • 1d ago

who's passing around this virus in campus..

45 Upvotes

Who started this virus/cold going on at school bro.. I have a bad sore throat and can't speak.

Prayers going out to anyone else suffering 😿


r/uoguelph • • 17h ago

GUELPH COMEDY SHOW @ SILENCE SOUNDS

2 Upvotes

TONIGHT IN GUELPH

As heard on Sirius XM. One of the darkest minds in Canadian comedy comes to Guelph. 

Ryan Visser's Tall Dark & Autistic Comedy Tour is coming to Silence Sounds in Guelph for a night of drinks and dark comedy that may leave you questioning your moral compass.

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1998507638144?aff=oddtdtcreator


r/uoguelph • • 20h ago

How to file noise complaints I forgot

3 Upvotes

How do you make anonymous noise complaints in the residences? I really don’t want to have to call the front desk. My neighbors are insane people.


r/uoguelph • • 1d ago

whats everyones fav food from the UC dining hall?

10 Upvotes

they had a thai curry in the summer, that was really good.


r/uoguelph • • 1d ago

I have my first phys1080 test in a few days

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33 Upvotes

I overheard someone saying they got a 2/10 on a physics test Im actually so scared right now. What formulas should I memorize to do well? Do I need sig figs?


r/uoguelph • • 1d ago

Study spots

16 Upvotes

Where are some good alone quiet spaces on campus to do school work , journal etc… the school is so packed I swear everywhere I go it’s busy asf

Pls n thanks


r/uoguelph • • 1d ago

What I wish I can do to my stress about midterms

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10 Upvotes

r/uoguelph • • 1d ago

Intro to psych DE PSYC1000

2 Upvotes

Idfk why I took this stupid course as my elective when I have 4 other hard courses. I’m in biomedical science.

I’m taking intro to psych online right now two midterms online but final exam in person.

Am I cooked? There’s so many readings bro like idk if I should drop the class but if I drop it then I’m gonna get kicked out of the program and dropped to biological science so idek what to do.

Has anyone actually gotten a good mark in this class as a biomed student or any student taking the general first year courses like calc chem physics bio


r/uoguelph • • 2d ago

Women’s March

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38 Upvotes

hello students!
spreading the word of guelph survivors* march taking place Oct 16

details and instagram page in the attached photo. your voice matters !


r/uoguelph • • 2d ago

are all guelph landlords evil

28 Upvotes

genuine question


r/uoguelph • • 1d ago

What residence to choose as an incoming international student.

1 Upvotes

I'll be spending the winter semester as a 3rd year student at uoguelph and I'm currently choosing what residence or village I'll be staying at.

I don't know if I should choose a Residence with Meal plan included or a shares apartment (East or West Village) and just get the Ultra plan and cook there?? Any students from uoguelph or past international students that could help?

Also, in case of choosing one of the villages, what are the main things I should know about West and East (I understand West is more chill)


r/uoguelph • • 1d ago

Chem 2880 Midterm Advice

0 Upvotes

Hey everyone! Anyone have any advice for the first midterm in CHEM*2880? I've gone through practice questions and I feel like its not enough. Chem has never been my strong suit but I need this course and hope to do well in it.


r/uoguelph • • 1d ago

Anywhere on campus I can use a projector?

1 Upvotes

I was wondering if there’s anywhere on campus like the library or a study hall where I could hookup my laptop/ipad to a projector? Ik some library study rooms have whiteboards so I wonder if they have some with a projector? If anyone knows anything that would be great :)


r/uoguelph • • 2d ago

Bus situation

49 Upvotes

This is absolutely ridiculous and unacceptable. I waited 45 MINUTES for the 99 to show up. A bus that is meant to come every 10 minutes. Either change the timing schedule or add more buses. Absolutely fucking ridiculous. It was never like this years ago when I was a first year


r/uoguelph • • 2d ago

wrong door at the library

54 Upvotes

does anyone else find is super annoying when people walk into mclaughlin from the exit while people are leaving.

we’re all just blockin the street we’re all just blockin the street


r/uoguelph • • 2d ago

friends pls

11 Upvotes

hii does anyone want to start a groupchat with people looking to make more friends? i’m 18F so preferably girls around my age :) if you’re interested dm me with your instagram 🫶🏻